A quiet blog that discusses LGBT issues, fiction, publishing, pop culture, and romance novels that may or may not be erotic romance.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Ben Affleck as a Hero in Batman; Free Excerpt Week

Ben Affleck as a Hero in Batman

The main reason I'm posting this today is because we saw Argo on Saturday night, finally, and we loved it. I know there's been controversy about the historical facts, but I'm only talking about the film itself, as it stood, without really knowing anything about the topic. Tony and I were too young to remember the details of what happened during the Iran hostage crisis, so for us watching the film was pretty much a blank slate as far as historical details went. I'm talking about the acting, the story, the way it was executed, and the dialogue.

So after seeing how wonderful Ben Affleck was in Argo, I find it hard to understand why so many have gone berserk about him playing Batman. All through Argo I kept thinking, from the POV of a romance writer, he's the penultimate hero. Argo is a real life Batman story, without the tights and mask. You could take the basic story line from Argo, fictionalize it with a different hostage situation, and turn it into a Batman film and no one would even think twice.

And yet there's still discussion over whether or not Affleck is right for the role of Batman. And I have to wonder how much more an actor has to prove himself to play a cartoon character.

This is the latest I've read:

Speaking to investors yesterday at a conference in the US, Warner Bros CEO Kevin Tsujihara confirmed rumours that the new Dark Knight would be a more mature figure than previous iterations. "[He'll be] tired and weary and seasoned and been doing it for awhile," he said at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch media communications and entertainment conference, adding that the studio thought Affleck was "perfect" for the role and expected the film to be "huge".You can read more here.

I think it's typical of what I post about here sometimes, when authors try to step out of the box, so to speak, and write something in a different genre. Once you're pegged a certain way, that's how it remains. Imagine if I decided to write children's books? It happens to everyone at one point or another. When I owned my gallery in New Hope the guy who owned the candy store was "The Candy Guy." And that's how he will remain forever. At least authors can use pen names. Affleck can't do that.

After they showered and
dressed, Treston made coffee. He wanted to sit at the table and talk for a few
minutes. He didn’t have to go to work until later and he knew Harlan didn’t
have anything planned that day. But Harlan grabbed a chipped mug and said,
“We’ll drink it on the way to the bank. I want to take you somewhere special
today. Don’t waste time. You talk too much anyway.”

When he heard Harlan wanted to take him somewhere special,
his head went up and he smiled. “Where do you want to take me?” He’d thought
they would go ring shopping, but now that Harlan had mentioned taking him
somewhere special he decided not to mention rings that morning. This was the
first time since they’d met and fallen in love that Harlan had suggested going
anywhere during the day.

“It’s a great big surprise,” Harlan said, as he turned to
a small mirror in the living room to put on his dark sunglasses and check out
his hair. He was wearing tight faded jeans that made his crotch bulge, a white
shirt, and the same black leather jacket he’d worn the night Treston had met
him.

“Can’t you even give me a hint,” Treston said. At that
moment, as he stood before the mirror moving his hair around, Treston thought
he was the most attractive man in the universe.

“No hints,” Harlan said. “Shut the fuck up and let’s go
now. I never met anyone who wanted to talk so much.”

Treston knew Harlan hated too much talking, so he took
his mug of coffee and followed him toward the door in silence. Treston had
decided to wear his new low-rise jeans and a black mock turtleneck. The jeans
had cost him over one hundred dollars and he couldn’t even afford them…they
were still on the credit card Harlan had maxed out. He didn’t wear a jacket
because it was warm out. He wanted to ask Harlan why he was wearing his
favorite jacket on such a warm day, but he decided not to say anything. He had
a feeling if he did ask Harlan would say he was talking too much again. He’d
been trying to make an effort not to do this.

They drove to the bank in Harlan’s red twenty year old
Jeep Cherokee. It was so old there were holes in the seats, rust around all the
bumpers, and the steering wheel made a strange crunching noise whenever Harlan
made a left turn. One of the springs was broken and the left side of the rear
end sagged. But Treston didn’t own a car and he didn’t mind driving around in
the old car as long as he was with Harlan. He was so much in love with this
strong handsome man he even held his head higher when they pulled into the bank
parking lot.

Before they got out, Harlan said, “I need a little more
money.”

Treston tilted his head sideways. “I don’t understand.
Those guys gave you almost a thousand dollars and you said you only needed me
to make up the rest of what they owed you. You said you were going to pay off
the credit card with the money.”

“I have to pay a few dudes off first,” Harlan said.
“After that, I’ll be completely free and I’ll owe no one. I only need about
three thousand to get out of this jam.”

“Three thousand dollars?” Treston said. He felt a pull in
his stomach. “I only have about two thousand in the bank. If I withdraw that
much I’ll only have three hundred bucks left.” He’d been saving that money for
a long time. He’d skipped meals and worked extra hours just to sock this money
away. He knew it wasn’t much, not for most people. But to him it was a small
fortune and a little piece of mind in case there was an emergency.

Harlan sulked and punched the steering wheel. “I knew
you’d react this way. You only care about yourself. That’s okay. If you don’t
want me to have the money I’ll live. We can just postpone getting rings and
getting married for the next six months.”

Treston took a quick breath. “Calm down now. Don’t get
upset, sweetie.” When he saw the expression of defeat all over Harlan’s face he
felt a tug in his heart. He reached over and caressed his handsome rugged face.
“I’ll give you the money. We’ll figure out a way to pay off the credit card.
I’ll just work more hours.” He didn’t want to wait six months to get
married…even if gay marriage wasn’t legal.

So they unfolded from the old Jeep and went into the
bank. While Treston withdrew almost all of his savings, Harlan waited in the
background between two brown velvet ropes near the exit. Treston asked the bank
teller to give him the money in one hundred dollar bills so he could slip it
into his pocket without looking too obvious. He hated carrying so much cash
around and he felt uncomfortable all the way back to the car.

When they were inside, Harlan started the engine and
said, “Now I’m taking you somewhere very special. I’ve been planning this
wonderful surprise for a couple of days.” He didn’t ask Treston to hand over
the money right away.

Treston sat up and forgot all about the large sum of
money in his back pocket. “Can’t you give me a hint?” Oh, how he loved
surprises. He didn’t really want to know.

“It’s someplace you said you always wanted to go,” Harlan
said. “And that’s all I’m going to tell you for now. You’ll see soon enough.”
Then he backed the car out of the parking space and headed toward the exit.

It didn’t take Treston long to figure out where they were
going. He knew the roads; he’d traveled them all his life. “You’re taking me to
Hoover Dam, aren’t you? I can’t believe it. I’ve lived here all my life and
I’ve never actually been to Hoover Dam or Lake Mead. I guess it’s like people
who live in New York and never actually go to the Statue of Liberty. Or people
who live in Washington, D.C. and never actually go to the Washington Monument.
I once met a guy from Philadelphia who said he’d been born and raised there and
he’d never seen the Liberty Bell. I guess when you live in a place you take all
these things for granted. I’ve always wanted to see Hoover Dam, but I always
kept putting it off. I feel like that guy from Philadelphia who never…”

Harlan cut him off. “You’re talking too much again, bitch.
It’s giving me a fucking headache.” He spoke with a softer tone, as if he were
trying to control his voice.

“I’m sorry,” Treston said. “I’m just so excited about
going to Hoover Dam for the first time I can’t help myself.” They were almost
halfway there. It wasn’t more than a forty minute drive and they were the only
car on the road.

Break for erotic scene.

The thought of making
love to Harlan outdoors made Treston forget all about how far out they were.
The thought of walking naked through the trails excited him, too. So he took
off all his clothes in the car, and then he got out and followed Harlan up a
narrow winding trail that didn’t seem to lead to anything specific. There were
no other people around, which made Treston relax about what they were planning
to do. The last thing he needed was to get arrested for indecent exposure and
public sex. But he trusted Harlan so much he knew nothing bad could ever happen
to him.

Harlan took such
big steps Treston had to practically run to keep up with him. He had to hold
his dick to keep it from bouncing around. But when they finally reached a small
alcove between a group of rocks, Harlan stopped walking and said, “Shit, man. I
forgot to bring a condom. I’ll have to go back to the car. You stay here and
wait for me.”

“I’m not staying here alone, stark naked.” He felt a
chill up his spine.

“You’ll be fine,” Harlan said. “I’ll be right back. I’ll
run all the way and back.” Then he put his arms around Treston and kissed him
with his tongue in a way that made Treston’s knees go weak every time. The way
his thick leather jacket rubbed against Harlan’s naked body made him want to
submit to anything Harlan suggested.

When they finished kissing, Harlan slapped his ass and
turned toward the trail. Without giving him a backward glance, he said, “I’ll
be right back.”

“Don’t take too long,” Treston said. “I don’t want to get
arrested.”

When Treston couldn’t see Harlan in the distance, he
turned around and searched for a flat space to stretch out. He figured as long
as he was outside he might as well stretch out and work on his tan. He even
removed his boots and his socks so he wouldn’t have a tan line around his
ankles.

The first twenty minutes passed fairly quickly. He didn’t
even glance at his watch once. But after an hour passed he started to get an
uneasy feeling deep in his gut. It had only taken them thirty minutes to get up
there on foot and he started to worry something had happened to Harlan. Maybe
he’d fallen; he could have made a wrong turn and lost his way.

After another hour had passed, Treston felt panicky.
Harlan should have been back by now. He pictured him flat on his back with
blood trickling down from his temple. He imagined him wandering lost, between
rocks and ridges, trying to find his way, the poor helpless thing. So Treston
put on his boots and socks and slowly made his way back down the trail to where
they’d parked the Jeep. But on the way he started to experience even more panic
when he realized there was no way anyone could get lost. It was a narrow trail
with more than a few twists and bends, but distinctive enough to keep him on
the right path. When he finally reached the spot where they’d parked the Jeep
and he found it empty without a trace of Harlan or his clothes, a lump formed
in his stomach and he fell down on his knees and started to sob so hard he
never thought he’d stop.

Second Chance: The Complete Series

About Me

Ryan
@ryanfield
Hybrid author of over 100 published modern romance novels and stories, including AN OFFICER AND HIS GENTLEMAN, FANGSTERS, THE RAINBOW DETECTIVE AGENCY and best selling VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE SERIES. (The profile photo isn't very good, but it's really me and it's recent from 2017. I'm not supposed to be a photographer. )
RfieldJ@aol.com

Second Chance: His Only Choice

Second Chance: The Sweetest Apple

Cowboy Christmas Miracle Glendora Hill Series

The Littlest Christmas Tree

Book 2 Second Chance Series

Best Seller on Allromanceebooks.com

Bad Boy Billionaire: The Actor Learning to Love

I won't give out any spoilers, but this is the first time I've ever worked the attacks on the World Trade Center into a novel (you can see the twin towers in the background on the cover)...it's also the first time I've ever written a strong lesbian theme into the subplot.

The Women Who Love to Love Gay Romance

An Anthology with Ryan Field Press, release date August 30, 2013...links to follow soon.

Fangsters: Clan of the Jersey Boys

At a glance, Anton Pagano looks and sounds just like any other twenty-something. He lives in a mansion in northern New Jersey with his mom and dad, and he's never had to worry about anything other than his wardrobe, his latest new car, and the secret love affair he's been having for years. However, Anton has more than just the love affair to hide: he belongs to a Sicilian vampire mobster clan that migrated to New Jersey in the late 1800s.

The Wall Street Shark

Third installment of the Bad Boy Billionaire series.

Note to All Readers...

I welcome all comments and e-mails from readers of this blog or readers of my books.

All comments on this blog are treated with absolute discretion and all anonymous comments will remain private at all times. All reader e-mails sent to me in private will also be treated with discretion and will never, NEVER, be reprinted or reposted anywhere in public by me unless I get permission, in writing, from the reader. In other words, your privacy will always be respected.

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That Cowboy in the Window

Erotic Gay Romance with a twist.

Chase of a Dream

In this 59,000 word unabridged version of the sequel to "Chase of a Lifetime" that contains all of the original erotic scenes, Jim Darling finally finds the happiness he's been chasing for so long. He and Len Mayfield have settled into a quiet routine in their small newly renovated home in the Hollywood Hills, and they enjoy every minute they spend together raising Len's toddler grandson, Culum Mayfied.

An Officer and His Gentleman

Alyson Books

Ravenous Romance

all romance ebooks

Cleis Press

Pretty Man

Unlike most stories, where the rich and powerful husband dumps the hard working, devoted life partner for someone younger, this one takes a turn in the opposite direction when the rich husband is the one to get dumped. But with young Josh's help, Roland learns in less than a week's time that his future can still hold both earth-shattering sex and a love of real substance.

Whatever, Dude

When a young professional is mistaken for a hooker, the outcome is always shocking.

Disclaimer

I don't post photos or images here unless I'm certain they fall under the guidelines of fair use or public domain. But this blog has been around for a while and even though I've triple checked previous posts for photos and taken down anything questionable, I might have missed something and my intention was not to infringe on anyone's rights. I will continue to update, and all photos I post now will provide attribution of some kind. If not, they are believed to be in the public domain.